Safety warning after spate of kitchen fires across South Yorkshire

Householders are being warned about the dangers of leaving cooking unattended following a series of kitchen fires at the weekend.

An overheated chip pan sparked a fire at a home in Musgrave Avenue in Thrybergh, Rotherham, at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.

Firefighters from Rotherham, Aston and Maltby stations spent about an hour at the scene battling the flames.

Just two hours later an unattended grill pan caused smoke damage to a property in Wyke Road, Lundwood in Barnsley.

Cudworth firefighters dealt with the incident.

An overheated pan sparked a blaze at a home in Swanee Road, Kendray in Barnsley, the following morning at 6am.

The resident was already out when firefighters arrived.

Nobody was injured at any of the incidents.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has now issued a home safety plea for residents to never leave cooking unattended.

A spokesperson said: "The cooking fires we go to range from burnt toast to serious blazes which gut houses and destroy lives. But what all these incidents have in common is that they are nearly always entirely preventable.

“Whether it’s remembering to keep an eye on your cooking, giving your oven a good scrub or buying a takeaway after a night out, rather than attempting to cook, this is all about asking residents to take some simple steps to protect themselves and those they love.”

The top three tips for preventing cooking fires are:-

*Clean out ovens and grill pans regularly to avoid a build up of fat and grease